Long Road Home(64)

“I love you,” she whispered.

“Get better, baby. You and I have a lot of time to make up for, and I plan to make the most of every minute.”

An enormous weight lifted off her chest. Her heart took flight, lifted and soared. She was free. For the first time in three years, she was free.

Manny gathered her gently in his arms and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Go to sleep, baby. Nothing can hurt you anymore.”

She pillowed her head on his chest, felt her tears soak into his shirt. Happy tears. For once, she didn’t loathe her show of weakness. The man who held her made her strong.

Chapter Thirty-One

“Today’s the day,” Manny said as he rolled a wheelchair into her room.

Jules looked up from the bed, nervous excitement surging through her veins. It had been three weeks since she’d lain at death’s door. Three weeks of lying in a hospital bed while Manny fussed endlessly over her. She was ready to be out.

He helped her into the wheelchair then checked the bandages over her chest. Other than a bit of soreness, the wound had healed marvelously.

“All set?” he asked.

At her nod, he pushed the wheelchair into the hallway.

“We’ll stop by the nurses’ station so they can give you your discharge instructions, then we’ll be on our way.”

She smiled. He sounded so cheerful. The worry that had been so firmly etched on his face for so long had disappeared. She could almost see the old Manny, the one she’d fallen in love with as a teenager.

“You know, I can walk just fine,” she said as he pushed her toward the elevator.

“Hush. You’ll have plenty of time for walking. For now, you’ll take it easy.”

She shook her head. He was enjoying this far too much.

They rode down on the elevator, then he pushed her toward the front entrance. She could see an SUV parked in the semicircular patient drop-off area through the automatic glass doors to the hospital.

They wheeled past the gift shop, and as he reached the doors, he slowed.

“Can you walk from here? The truck is just outside.”

“Isn’t that what I just said?” she asked dryly.

He grinned and leaned down to help her up. Despite her protests that she could walk, she still felt weak and was glad for his assistance.

The automatic doors swooshed open, and two men walked toward her and Manny. If they weren’t government agents of some type, she’d eat every one of her bandages.

Her heart began to pound and her stomach coiled into a knot. Manny’s arm tightened around her shoulders.

The men pulled out their badges. FBI agents.

“Jules Trehan, we’ll have to ask you to come with us.”

“The hell she will,” Manny exploded. “She just got out of the hospital!”

One of the agents put up his hand in a placating manner. “Look, Ramirez, we aren’t going to hurt her. We’re just following orders.”

Jules looked past the two agents to see two more entering the building. Sweat broke out on her forehead and she began to shake.

“Goddamn it, this isn’t the time. Whose orders are you acting under?” Manny demanded. “She’s in no shape for this.”

“Am I being arrested?” she managed to get out. She had known this day was coming. The day when she would have to atone for her sins.

The second agent stepped forward and put his hand out toward Jules.

“If you so much as touch her, I’ll kill you,” Manny vowed.

The agent stepped back, and the two behind him advanced. This was quickly getting out of control.

She turned to Manny. “I have to go, Manny. You’ll come with me.” She wanted him to calm down before he went ballistic.

“I’m afraid that’s not possible, Ms. Trehan. Our orders are to bring you in. Alone. Now if you’ll follow me.”

She swallowed back her panic and looked between Manny and the agents. Why were they taking her away from Manny?

Manny carefully shoved her behind him, providing a barrier between her and the agents. She peeked from behind his arm, needing to see what transpired.

“I want to talk to whoever’s in charge. She’s not going anywhere until I do,” Manny said.

The agent sighed. Behind him, the other two agents drew their guns. “Ramirez, I know this sucks. We don’t like it any more than you do, trust me. But our orders are to take her into protective custody. We’ll take care of her, I promise.”

“If you think I’m just going to let you walk in here and take her away without me, you’re nuts.”

“Don’t make us force the issue.”

Jules buried her face into Manny’s back for a long second. Would she see him again? Or would they throw the book at her and more? Whatever the case, she wasn’t a coward.

She stepped around him before he could pull her back and bravely faced her fate. “I’m ready.”

Manny reached for her arm. “Jules, no! You don’t have to go.”

She looked up at him, tears filling her eyes. “You know what I’ve done, Manny. You can’t have thought they wouldn’t care.”

“If you’ll come with me, Ms. Trehan,” the first agent said gently.

As soon as he put his hand on her arm, Manny exploded. The other three agents converged on him, pulling him away. In the end, it took their combined efforts and that of the hospital security guard to contain him.